How to deal with a noisy neighbor?

[Trekker4747]

It's the craziest thing, though.

I've got this nutty radio in my apartment and every night at around 3AM it goes off on its own for no reason whatsoever and it takes me a while to fight it to get to turn off. Well it does this, and then this guy starts bagining on my door to turn it off.

I mean, it woke me up too! So here I am, fighting with it, and I'm naked -as that's how I sleep- so I can't exactly open the door to talk to him.

Why don't I unplug it? It's a complicated answer having a lot to do with power strips, heavy book sheleves, blocked outlets and needed other equipments.

I don't think people in this building like me, they look at me funny and treat me as an outsider.

 

[The Grim Ghost]

1st you go and politely ask them to stop..you've already done that.

2nd you leave a polite letter taped to their door. Just ask them to tone it down a little. Stress that you're not trying to be a dick, but super loud music at 3 am isn't acceptable because you have a job/responsibilites or whatever.

3rd you complain to your landlord.

4th you call the cops.


Just go down the list.

They'll get the message, get kicked out or get fined until it isn't worth it to them anymore. Problem solved. What a bunch of jerks btw. I like loud music too, but there is this magical invention called HEADPHONES!!

 

[Crusher Disciple]

I like loud music too, but there is this magical invention called HEADPHONES!!

Yeah, that's what I don't get- why the hell can't these losers invest in a pair of headphones if they like loud music so goddamn much?

 

[JNG]

I don't want to start trouble, and I don't want to start confronting him.

Then you've already lost. He's causing a problem in your life, and is in the wrong. Time to confront him and cause trouble for him equalling or exceeding that which he has created for you.

Example: what kind of security does he have protecting his apartment? If there's no deadbolt, Google "bump key" and if you know how to cut a few wires this is over.

Has he got a pet?

 

[Haytil]

The guy knows he's a problem and he doesn't care. The immediate response to you knocking on his door, as well as the cartoon taped to his door, give this away. I also know what you mean by "weird social vibes," based on your description. Trust me, conventional stuff (asking politely, sending letters) isn't going to work on this guy.

You mention you live in a community. I guarantee you other people have the same issue with him, they're just too scared to break the ice about it. Do everyone else, as well as yourself, a favor and start asking around. They'll be relieved to know they're not alone in their pain, and you'll have a lot of allies (giving you weight with the landlord, cops, court appearance, or whatnot - if anything else, it'll give you confidence by confirming that it's not just you being a dick).

You then have several options:

A) Call the cops each and every time it happens. They're obligated to send a unit. It'll probably be a small pool of the same guys over and over (only so many squad cars will be in patrol in your area late at night). They'll learn this guy's name, and eventually they'll get so tired of coming out there that they'll ram it down this guy's throat that he has to stop.

When you do call the cops, make SURE that you say "There's a loud party upstairs." Don't say "There's a guy with loud music" - they're much more likely to respond to noise complaints from what are described as parties rather than individuals. Even if it's the 10th time, and they know it's just one guy, claim you think there's a loud party.

B) Inform your landlord that you will be withholding rent if it doesn't stop immediately (it's his responsibility to enforce the lease). Look up "witholding rent" laws in your area and follow the process immediately. Sometimes it can take two weeks or months before you're legally allowed to, but begin the process - hopefully the mere threat to your landlord will spur him into action. If not, the written letters and whatever else is required will show him you're serious.

C) Piss this guy off. He deserves it, and he needs to know that whatever YOU'RE doing to piss him off, will stop as soon as he stops pissing you AND your neighbors off. Figure out something he hates. Put dead things in his mailbox. Throw something smelly or messy under the crack of his door. Whatever it is, don't stop - do it every time that he makes the loud noises.

And NEVER admit that you did it - always feign ignorance (but if he asks you, then say "I don't know what you're talking about - maybe you're pissing someone ELSE off with your loud noise too. I bet if you stopped it wouldn't happen anymore - that ways he KNOWS you did it, and knows how to stop it, but can't prove it). If you never admit it, you can never be busted for it - and cops will be much more sympathetic (because they won't be legally obligated to stop you, since they don't know for a fact it's you - but they will realize this guy deserves it and will silently approve and treat HIM like HE'S the problem).

Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.

 

[Captain X]

Call the cops and report the disturbance. Don't even bother talking to the neighbor anymore, you've already tried that and it's obvious he isn't reasonable.

 

[Rii]

How to deal with a nosy neighbour?

I live in the perfect apartment, except for one thing: my downstairs neighbor is an obnoxious busybody who has been driving me out of my mind lately with his complaints regarding my early morning jam sessions. The worst is that he has been turning up at my door at the ungodly hour of 3:00am demanding that I respect his need for sleep or somesuch. What about my need for music? I even went out of my way to accommodate him by turning it down one night to a barely audible level, but it isn't enough for this guy. Seems to be one of those cases where if I give an inch, he'll take a mile.

The guy is also a bit of a social weirdo, actually that goes for most everyone else in the apartment complex too. They keep giving me these creepy smiles like those pedophiles on TV, and I think they're whispering about me behind my back. I don't want to start trouble, and I don't want to start confronting him or the others about it, but it's making me uncomfortable.

 

[GodThingFormerly]

...any suggestions on ways to deal with a noisy neighbor?

TGT

 

[pookha]

do you have anything like a neighborhood court in your area.
they are set up to handle non violent disputes among neighbors and have mediators to help.

 

[Crusher Disciple]

B) Inform your landlord that you will be withholding rent if it doesn't stop immediately (it's his responsibility to enforce the lease). Look up "witholding rent" laws in your area and follow the process immediately. Sometimes it can take two weeks or months before you're legally allowed to, but begin the process - hopefully the mere threat to your landlord will spur him into action. If not, the written letters and whatever else is required will show him you're serious.

Before you do this, find out if it's legal in the country or state you live in. In Texas, it's illegal to withhold rent and by doing so you are breaching your contract (the lease) and can be evicted for doing so.

Always check the law before doing something like that. It will bite you in the ass. I know it's tempting when you're getting taken advantage of and feel blown off, but DO NOT DO IT.

 

[sidious618]

How to deal with a nosy neighbour?

I live in the perfect apartment, except for one thing: my downstairs neighbor is an obnoxious busybody who has been driving me out of my mind lately with his complaints regarding my early morning jam sessions. The worst is that he has been turning up at my door at the ungodly hour of 3:00am demanding that I respect his need for sleep or somesuch. What about my need for music? I even went out of my way to accommodate him by turning it down one night to a barely audible level, but it isn't enough for this guy. Seems to be one of those cases where if I give an inch, he'll take a mile.

The guy is also a bit of a social weirdo, actually that goes for most everyone else in the apartment complex too. They keep giving me these creepy smiles like those pedophiles on TV, and I think they're whispering about me behind my back. I don't want to start trouble, and I don't want to start confronting him or the others about it, but it's making me uncomfortable.

Well played, good sir, well played.

 

[An Officer]

In my part of the world, the local government run pollution control teams... one of which is a Noise Service which operates through the night. They have equipment with which to measure the noise, and if it exceeds a certain level, that person will get a formal warning, if the problem persists, they begin proceedings to evict. It's quite efficient.

If however this neighbour of yours has mental health issues, or recognised and treated substance abuse problems for example... they may not be dealt with in the same way, as the law sometimes protects them as vulnerable people.

If this guy is doing this at 3am, and at such extraordinary levels, it's more than likely he has some problems... My advice is to contact your local government, and ask for the number of their noise pollution services. Do not antagonise him yourself, this is in the interests of your own personal safety.

 

[freak]

The worst is that he has been turning on his tunes at the ungodly hour of 3:00am. In the last few weeks, I have been woken up several times and found my walls literally shaking and thumping with his high-bass, super treble, sub-woofer shitty techno/electronica/beat-box style music. The vibrations are so intense that it feels like the music is drilling a whole in my head.

I'm sorry..but this made me laugh so hard! I would suggest filing a loud noise complaint to either the police or to the landlord before you loose sleep. And you were being nice and civil-he's the jerk that has no sympathy for anyone else but his own self and seems very selfish when it comes to music. I also hate annoying, loud roommates myself.

 

[gojiragirl]

I had noisy upstairs neighbours too. It was this Russian family who moved in around 1045 pm at night with the kid running up and down the stairs. I asked them when they moved in if the kid could stop running. I got "5 more minutes" and a hand shoved in my face. Good introduction. I was then in for a year of that kid running, jumping, and sometimes banging on the floor. There were even times when the family would get into these fights. I could hear the parents screaming, the kid screaming, and then there would be lots of banging. I had to call the cops a couple of times for the noise and possible domestic stuff. Then a second kid popped up out of nowhere and added to the noise. The kids were either home-schooled or didn't go to school because they were never gone during the day and they didn't go to bed until around 1200 am at night.
Eventually after complaining to my landlord and calling the cops a couple of times they moved out. I don't know if they were evicted or if they weren't allowed to renew their lease (they moved out around a year after they moved in.). Although the guy did give me a dirty look when he left.

 

[Colonel Green]

I don't want to create a large conflict. It's a small, mostly friendly building. I don't want an enemy who is pissed that I ratted on him to the landlord.

I wouldn't worry about it. If his music is as loud as you say, there is no way that you're the only one being bothered by it. He didn't answer the door, so he probably doesn't know it was you, and your landlord shouldn't tell him who the complaint came from.

Some really good advice in this thread. Complain to your landlord, keep records, cite the rental contract and threaten legal action. A registered letter can have an amazing effect on people.

Barring that, call the cops and complain about "a loud party". Do it every night if you have to.

 

[the_wildcard]

I will echo the advice mentioned here. Go to the landlord and also call the cops.

 

[CaptJimboJones]

C) Figure out something he hates. Put dead things in his mailbox. Throw something smelly or messy under the crack of his door. Whatever it is, don't stop - do it every time that he makes the loud noises.

I wouldn't do this. It gives HIM a legitimate complaint to then lodge with management and/or the cops, and it can change the issue from one problem tenant into a "feud" among tenants in which all sides share some blame - and the police will take that far less seriously. And management might just decide to evict EVERYONE involved, including you.

Plus, it will probably just piss the guy off, and rather than turning his music down or moving out, he'll just get entrenched in "the battle" and things could get worse.

I knew a guy who had a small-time drug dealer move in across the street from his house. He was annoyed by the traffic at all hours and the fact that people would openly smoke weed on the front lawn of the house. He called the cops constantly, but he also let the air out of the guy's tires one night, and the next time the cops showed up, the dude complained about it. At that point, the cops said that as far as they were concerned, it was just a feud between neighbors and they weren't going to respond to any more calls.

Just be police and professional in every aspect of this until it's resolved.